Family Reunion
by emberline
Summary: When Ally Dawson invites her boyfriend Dallas to a family reunion to meet her family for the first time, she finds that her brother Elliot and his best friend Austin become a little too over-protective of her. Aussly :))
1. Good To Be Home

ALLY'S POV

_"Ladies and Gentlemen we will shortly be arriving in Miami, Florida where the local time is 10:00. Please stay in your seats with your seatbelts fastened and turn all electronic devices off. Thank you for flying with us today," _the pilot announces, waking me up from my peaceful sleep. I look over to my boyfriend Dallas who unsurprisingly slept through the entire flight.

"Dallas." I nudge him. "Dallas we're landing now," I tell him as I continue to gently nudge him. He opens his eyes and smiles up at me however his smile soon turns into a frown. "What's wrong?" I ask him.

"I'm just nervous about meeting your family that's all," he admits. I've been dating Dallas now for a few months, and because we live in New York, he's never been able to meet my family who live in Miami where I grew up. I'm really looking forward to seeing them again, as some of them I haven't seen since I attended MUNY five years ago. Of course I've stayed in touch but it's not the same.

"Don't worry Dallas, they're going to love you," I assure him and his smile returns.

"Well could you at least go over who everyone is again," he asks me. I know he knows everyone already but Dallas can be forgetful when he gets nervous.

"Well, there's my parents, Lester and Penny Dawson and my older brother Elliot who's engaged to my friend Cassidy. Of course you can't forget my cousin/best friend Trish who I should warn you may start out harsh towards you but she'll warm up to you soon enough." This makes Dallas more nervous as he is aware of how tough Trish can be based on the stories I've told him. Nevertheless I still continue. "However she spends most of her time fighting with Dez so she'll probably leave you alone. There's also Austin, Elliot's best friend who according to my dad is taking a break from his work as his tour's just finished. He may not be family but he was always like a brother to Elliot, and our parents get along really well also. Oh and I forgot; Trish is now dating Roger."

"Austin's back up dancer?" Dallas asks. See I knew he already knew all of this.

"Yep."

"And this reunion is for your mother's book release right?"

"Yep." I lean over and quickly peck his cheek before the plane begins to land. After the plane lands, we grab our carry-ons before leaving the plane and collecting the rest of our luggage. Sadly there's quite a bit as we're staying for the whole summer, but I'm not complaining much. Outside the airport Dallas spots a limo with a man standing beside it holding up 'ALLY DAWSON'. That could only be my dad.

"So will I finally get to see the amazing Sonic Boom?" Dallas asks as we drive to my parent's house.

"Of course you will. Though, I can't promise you that I can show you around. Who knows what changes my dad has made," I joke, secretly hoping that my dad hasn't changed the store that much. It holds so many great memories for me, most of them consisting of the crazy times my friends and I had. Soon enough we pull up outside my house and Dallas and I climb out of the limo and walk up to the front door, hand-in-hand. I quickly peck his cheek for reassurance before knocking, and the door soon opens up to reveal Elliot.

"Elliot!" I scream as I leap into his arms for a hug. He spins me around before putting me down.

"Ally, it's so good to see you," he says before turning his attention to Dallas. "So you must be Dallas. It's good to meet the man who's been watching out for my baby sister." Elliot stretches out his hand which Dallas gladly accepts.

"Well I assure you nothing means more to me than Ally's safety," Dallas says, making me blush a little. How can I be so lucky to have so many people looking out for me?

"That's good to hear," I hear my dad say as he enters the room, reaching out for a handshake which Dallas accepts.

"Mr Dawson, it's a pleasure to meet you," Dallas tells dad.

"Please, call me Lester; you're part of the family now," Dad responds, making Dallas tense up a bit. This worries me a little.

"Well now that you've met is it alright if we take our stuff up to our room, so that it'll be out of the way?" I ask. Dad nods and Dallas and I grab our suitcases to take upstairs. Once there in our room I close the door and turn to Dallas who's sitting on the edge of the bed. "See Dallas I told you they'd like you," I say, hoping to lift the mood a little. It doesn't work as he stays quiet. "I'm sorry about what my dad said down there."

"No I'm sorry I responded the way I did. Believe me I care about you, but it just felt weird having a man I just met call me family; you know?" I nodded, understanding what he was saying. Suddenly there's a knock at the door, and I tell them to come in. I scream as soon as I see who it is.

"Trish!" I run up and give her a hug. "Austin!" Then I give him a hug. "Dez!" I finally give him and hug before dragging all three of them towards Dallas who is now standing up. "Everyone this is my boyfriend Dallas. Dallas these are all my friends. The guys give Dallas a handshake while Trish goes in for a hug which Dallas hesitantly accepts.

"Ally's right, you are cute," Trish says, gaining a punch on the arm from me. "What! I'm just saying."

"Well Trish now that I've thought about it how's Roger?" I ask her, hoping to take some of the attention away from Dallas as he clearly is feeling quite nervous.

"He's great. I'm just so glad the tour's over. I missed him so much."

"Trish you were talking to him every chance you had," Austin complains. Same old Austin.

"Oh yeah how was the tour Austin?" I ask him, almost forgetting that he's a world-wide superstar. That's probably because I don't write so many songs for him anymore, as we don't live in the same state anymore and he can actually write his own songs now.

"It was really good. Everyone loved that song that you sent over to me a few months ago," he tells me.

"Not to mention we made an awesome music video out of that song," Dez says. "Oh hey, cool suitcases by the way," he continues, pointing at my red suitcase covered in white musical notes. That's just reminded me...

"Oh yeah we still need to unpack," I tell them.

"Cool, well I need to help Elliot and Lester out with the barbeque. See ya both later," Austin says before leaving the room along with Trish and Dez. Dallas and I start unpacking in silence, until he speaks up.

"Ally, how did you're panties end up in my suitcase?" Dallas asks me, holding up my underwear for me to see, while smirking.

"That must be from the spare set of clothes that I keep round yours," I tell him. Dallas and I may not be living together since it has only been a few months since we started dating, but we do still spend a lot of time round each other's apartments, so we both generally leave a spare set of clothes around the others.

"Oh I think I remember you in these. I wonder what you look like in the ones you have on now," he jokes, dropping the underwear on the bed and walking towards me. I smirk back up at him, walking away.

"I'm sure you've already seen me in these so you don't need to see now," I say as he continues to approach me. I start giggling when he grabs me around the waist and pulls me close to him. I would start pulling away but he starts leaning down and I can't resist those lips. He kisses me gently, smiling throughout. I wrap my arms around his neck, and soon bite gently onto his bottom lip, causing him to moan and tighten his grip on my waist. We continue this for a while until Trish shouts that lunch is ready from downstairs.

AUSTIN'S POV

"Hey Elliot, you need any help with the barbeque?" I yell as I make my way out into the garden. I always loved the Dawson's garden; it's so large, not to mention they have a fountain with glow-in-the-dark lights a really cool tree house down the far end. I remember Ally and I always used to love going up to that tree house, mostly to do jam sessions. I missed Ally; it was amazing seeing her again as beautiful as ever, but I don't really trust that Dallas guy. He seems nice enough but they don't appear all lovey-dovey. My thoughts are interrupted by Elliot's reply.

"Nah I've got it under control. You seen Ally yet?" he asks me.

"Yeah; just now. Hey, what do you think about that Dallas guy?" I ask him, hoping I'm not the only one who disapproves of the relationship.

"He seems nice enough, and I'm convinced he cares about her, I'm just not convinced they're right for each other."

"My thoughts exactly." See this is why he's one of my best friends. "And speaking of relationships how's the wedding planning going?"

"I wouldn't know. You know what girls are like when it comes to weddings. They make all the decisions. However Cassidy did remind me to choose a best man, and since you're like a brother to me I wanted to ask you. Also Cassidy wanted me to ask you if you would like to perform at the wedding. I know you're taking a break but it would mean a lot to us."

"Well Elliot, I'd be more than happy to be your best man; and just because I'm taking a break, doesn't mean I still won't perform this summer."

"True," he agrees before turning his attention back to the barbeque. "Oh by the way, Ally doesn't know that the wedding's sooner than we told her yet, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her anything."

"Don't worry I won't," I assure him.

"Won't what?" Cassidy appears out of nowhere, and goes to hug Elliot round the waist while he continues to cook the food.

"I won't tell Ally about the change of the wedding date," I tell her. When the foods ready he asks Trish to let Dallas and Ally know and we start setting the food out onto the table. I can see Ally introducing Penny to Dallas. I wonder what she will think of this guy. Everyone sits down and just as we start our food, Trish speaks up.

"So Cassidy, what made you suddenly decide to have a summer wedding?"

"What do you mean Trish?" Ally asks her, looking very confused. _Uh oh!_


	2. Memories

ALLY'S POV

"Wait, you didn't know?" Trish asks me in shock.

"What didn't I know? Elliot what's going on?" I ask turning to him. He looks down at his plate with a guilty expression on his face before turning to Cassidy as they take hold of each other's hands.

"Sorry Ally we should have told you sooner. We're having our wedding at the end of the summer, just before you go back home. I know I should have told you sooner, but – "I interrupt him by storming back into the house. How could he not let his own sister know about his wedding plans?

"Hey Ally." I turn around to find that Cassidy had followed me. "Listen I know you're mad, but the thing is we were just worried how you'd react considering what with you and –"

"Don't say his name!" I warn her. She looks at me apologetically.

"Sorry. And I'm also sorry that I didn't ask you sooner to be my maid of honour?" I stare at her with a small smile forming on my face.

"What?"

"Ally, you have always been like a sister to me anyways, so I would love to have you as my maid of honour."

"Cassidy, I'd be honoured," I tell her before she jumps for excitement and squeezes me in a hug. I admit I'm still a little upset about the whole change-the-wedding-date thing but then I probably did overreact a little. I'll just have words with Elliot later. Cassidy and I walk back outside to finish our lunch and once I'm finished I walk back upstairs and grab my diary. However before I have the chance to write an entry I notice Dallas enter the room.

"Hey Ally. You ok?" he asks sincerely.

"Yeah I'm ok," I lie, and what's worse is he can tell.

"Ally... I know you. What was that really all about downstairs?" I stay silent for a moment, debating with myself whether or not I should tell him the truth or not. Eventually I decide it's only fair he knows.

"Before you I dated an old friend of Austin's, named Ethan. He was really sweet and we got along well. I officially got together with him after I finished MUNY two years ago, because before that it was just a long-distance relationship. It wasn't long after we dated that he proposed to me, but we were young so I said no and instead he decided the engagement ring would just be a promise ring. However he would not stop pestering me about getting married, and eventually I found him eating face with a little slut. That's when he admitted that he only wanted to marry me for my family's money, due to the successful business that is Sonic Boom. After that I found it difficult to trust guys, and now I see marriage very differently to how I did as a child. He's also the reason I went back to New York; I just wanted to get away."

Silence fills the room as I finish my story. I force myself not to cry as I can feel tears forming in the back of my eyes. Dallas just stares at me in disbelief for a moment as if he doesn't want to believe anything I've just told him. Thankfully though, he soon speaks up.

"Ally, I know saying sorry won't do anything, but I can promise you that I would never hurt you the way that douche did. And I swear I'm not after you family's money," he says, making me giggle a little. "I care about you Ally, which means I would never want to rush you into anything you don't want to do." I feel the tears finally release themselves from my eyes, but these are tears of happiness rather than sadness. Dallas leans down and captures my lips in a soft, gentle kiss that lifts my mood completely.

"Sorry, I can't help but ask; is Austin still friends with this guy?" Dallas asks me after he pulls away from the kiss. This makes me think back to Austin's reaction when he found it. After I'd told him about the slut and Ethan's reason for dating me, Ethan arrived at the house and immediately received a punch in the face from Austin. Not once had I seen Austin that pissed. After shouting at one another, Ethan finally left and Austin wrapped me up in a hug, holding on like he never wanted to let go. I smile at how sweet Austin has always been to me.

"No they're most certainly not friends anymore. To be honest I don't what happened to Ethan and I never want to know." I say. Dallas smiles back at me. He starts to lie down, pulling me down with him to that we are both lying on the bed with me resting my head on his chest. I let myself enjoy this moment until Elliot shouts from downstairs.

"Ally, could you come down for a moment?" he asks. Hesitantly I make my way downstairs towards Elliot who looks very regretful. "Ally, I'm truly sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. Believe me I wanted to I just never got up the courage to do so. But listen to make it up to you, how about we hang out one evening just the two of us, so that you can update me on you amazing life in New York," he suggests.

"That sounds great," I tell him, earning a bone-crushing hug. Elliot may be a pain sometime but he's my brother and I love him. Once he releases me from his grip, I make my way back upstairs to Dallas.

AUSTIN'S POV

"Ally agreed to hanging out," Elliot informs me as he sits down next to me on the porch steps.

"That's good. So you're gonna try and find out more about Dallas?" I ask him. We both do trust Dallas honestly, and we would never even think about ruining any relationships of Ally's, but we both want to look out for her so we just want to get a better understanding of this relationship.

"More like find out more about her relationship with Dallas," he corrects me. "But anyways, enough about them two. You're so worried about everyone else's relationship you don't seem to be thinking about having your own." Elliot is right. I have been helping everyone else out with their issues, meaning I haven't exactly been focusing on my own life. Even on tour I looked out for all my dancer's and of course Dez. But it's just so I can distract myself from my own life. Everyone believes I'm hung over on the fact that my ex-girlfriend Brooke cheated on me with Ethan, and I let them believe it. But the real reason is that I will never get over the fact that I let someone I care about deeply get hurt, especially by one of my best friends. I never forgave myself for letting Ethan use Ally the way he did; I should have been there for her.

"Yeah, I guess I have let myself get wrapped up in other people's business. I swear, I'll back off a little," I assure him. I would never let him know what really on my mind. Only Dez knows what really bothers me all the time and he still had to figure it out himself. Speaking of Dez, I suddenly notice that he's fighting with Trish down the bottom of the garden, so I call him over before things get ugly.

"Hey Austin, what's up?" Dez asks me as he sits on the ground in front of me. Strangely I don't find that weird.

"I figured I'd save you from Trish before things got ugly," I tell him and he immediately looks thankful.

"Do we even want to know what you were both fighting about this time?" Elliot asks Dez. Dez simply shakes his head, so we take that as a cue to drop the subject. "Well guys I don't know about you but I was thinking about kicking this summer off by spending the evening down by the beach," Elliot suggests. Dez and I agree and get up to let everyone else know. I run back home after telling the guys I'd meet them down by the beach and change into my yellow trunks and grab everything else I need. Tonight's going to be fun!


	3. Down at the Beach

As I arrive at the beach I notice that everyone but Dallas is there. With curiosity taking over, I walk over to a lonely looking Ally and sit down beside her on the sand.

"You ok here Als?" I ask her. I feel stupid asking that question but I was hoping she'd get the hint that I'm referring to the current none existence of Dallas.

"Yeah, I just wish that Dallas was here. But apparently he hates beaches so he decided he just wanted to stay at the house. I guess it's not so bad though; I think my dad wants to get to know him better." She pauses for a moment and her facial expression changes slightly. "Kay, maybe it is that bad."

"Why? Would your dad have any reason to hate Dallas?" I ask her. I can't help but feel that Dallas is right for her. He seems cool enough, just not right for Ally.

"No, Dallas is great," she tells me before her gaze shifts to Elliot and Cassidy laughing and hugging and just being all couple-y. I turn back to face Ally who has a sad smile on her face. I can tell she doesn't always get that same treatment from Dallas, but I decide to just leave it for now. Instead I suggest we head back over to the group. Ally walks over to Trish and Roger, most likely to congratulate them on their relationship, while I head over to Dez and Elliot. However before I can, Cassidy jumps up in front of me.

"Hey Austin. Listen Elliot told me that you're best man for the wedding so I wanted to quickly see how you feel about talking to Ally about the wedding since she's my maid of honour," she tells me.

"So you mean like about matching suits and bridesmaid's dresses and all that stuff?" I ask her, just to be sure. One thing about Cassidy is that she can be a real perfection-ate at times, especially for events like this.

"Exactly. Also I was hoping the four of us could spend some time together making some wedding decisions. So what do ya say; is that ok?" she asks hopefully.

"Of course it is. I wouldn't agree to be best man if I had no intention of helping with this wedding," I assure her, before her smile widens and she reaches up for a hug. I hug her back and then we both go over to Dez and Elliot. I'd never admit it but I still find it weird that Cassidy is now dating one of my best friends, considering I had a crush on her and even asked her out. However she had to go to LA, but when she came back I was over her and good thing because Elliot immediately took a liking into her. I can sometimes feel a little jealous of the relationship they have, considering I haven't been with anyone since Brooke. But hopefully I'll find someone soon.

ALLY'S POV

"Hey guys," I say walking over to Trish and Roger.

"Hey Ally. What were you and Austin talking about?" Trish asks me.

"He was just curious about why Dallas wasn't here," I tell her.

"Same old Austin; looking out for everyone," Roger jumps in. I smile up at him knowing he's right. Austin always has been the kind of guy that always puts himself before others, especially in the last few years. "Oh hey, do you want a beer?" he asks me, pointing over to the cooler.

"Yeah I could go for a beer," I answer, about to get myself one, but Roger beats me to it.

"He's so sweet isn't he," Trish sighs, staring at her boyfriend. I can't help but giggle as I haven't so used to her tough side. Roger returns and hands me a beer and we continue chatting for a bit.

After a few beers, Elliot runs into the water and gestures for everyone to follow him.

"C'mon guys the water is great!" he shouts. Everyone strips down to their swimwear and join him, while I stay back, feeling insecure. This is what I was like when we were teens. After Trish, Dez and Austin had helped me learn to love the beach, they tried to convince me that I shouldn't be ashamed of my body, and Trish took me bikini shopping. Eventually I relaxed and felt comfortable around them, but now I'm a fully grown adult and I feel so different, bringing back my insecurities. Trish notices my hesitation and runs towards me.

"Ally come on, you're not being insecure again are you?" she asks me, her hands on her hips.

"Maybe?" I say, making it sound more like a question. She gives me a look as if to say 'don't be silly and just take off that cover up so you can come swim with us'. Responding to her look, I do exactly that and run into the water with her. After causally standing around in the water for some time, I lightly splash Elliot, who immediately retaliates and soon we start a war. At some point I find myself attacking Austin with the water, and he quickly disappears. My laughing calms down, and soon I'm being lifted out of the water by a pair of strong arms. I start giggling again as Austin spins me around.

"Come on guys; we'd better start heading back," Elliot announces and with that Austin releases me from his grip and everyone goes to collect their things before walking back to the house.

"Hey Ally," Austin says as he walks up beside me. Before I even realise it, a smile forms on my face. "Listen, how do you feel about hanging out tomorrow to discuss wedding details for Elliot and Cassidy?"

"Sounds great. But don't forget I'm hanging out with Elliot tomorrow evening so I'll have to be home by the afternoon," I remind him. He nods in understanding and then runs back to Elliot. By this point we're finally back at the house and Dallas tackles me in a hug as soon as I walk through the door.

"Hey Ally, how was the beach?" he asks me.

"It was great. Would have been better if you came though," I tell him, but he just shrugs it off like it doesn't really matter. Looking behind him I suddenly notice my mum walking into the room, holding her book in her hand.

"Hi everyone, listen now that you're back I just want to remind you of my book release party on Friday. I know there's the wedding to focus on but I would appreciate the help just for the next couple of days organising this party," my mum announces.

"Well mum we'd love to help, considering some of us thought we were just coming over forthe bookrelease party this summer," I say, my voice getting louder towards the end, putting emphasis on my words as I slowly turn towards Elliot who leans his head on Cassidy's shoulder and looks down at the ground still feeling slightly guilty.

"I said I was sorry," Elliot mumbles before lifting his head back up. I just smile at him, indicating that he is forgiven now, and he soon smiles back. "And same as Ally I'm happy to help out also mum." Everyone follows that by letting my mum know that they'll help out also and mum just smiles

"Great. Thank you everyone. Well I'll let you get your rest and I'll see you in the morning," she says before leaving the room. Everyone does the same, and Dallas and I make our way up to our room. After finding a nightgown to wear I chuck them on the bed and remove my shirt, gaining a smirk from Dallas.

"How is it that you look more and more beautiful every day?" he says as he walks in front of me and wraps his arms around my waist pulling me closer to him. This suddenly brings me back to the beach when Austin held me in the water. He felt so muscular and warm and... Realising who I'm with right now, I decide to push all thoughts of Austin aside since he's just a friend and place my lips gently against Dallas'. He responds instantly and pulls me even closer towards his body. After a while the kiss becomes more heated and as we eventually break away for air, I grab hold of his shirt and lift it over his head. Dallas is rather fit, but not quite as fit as Austin... what am I saying?!

Dallas starts kissing my neck however we're soon interrupted by a gentle knock on the door.

"Hey honey, just wanted to say goodnight," I hear my dad say through the door.

"Night dad," I respond. Slowly I release myself from Dallas' grip and sling my nightgown over my head. Dallas changes into some sweats before turning off the light and climbing into bed. I follow, snuggling up into his chest. He quickly pecks my forehead and drifts off to sleep. Somehow I struggle to sleep as I go through in my mind exactly were Dallas and I are in our relationship. He's a great guy but sometimes I feel as if there is no real future for us; like we aren't really progressing as a couple. I soon realise that what I really want is to be in love.

AUSTIN'S POV

Elliot said I could take the couch tonight at his parents' house but my apartment is just round the corner, and besides I told Dez he could stay round mine for the summer anyways, since I have a guest room for him to stay in. Once we both get back to the apartment, we head straight to our rooms and I simply fall onto my bed, too tired to change into sweats. As I look up at the ceiling I think about my plans for tomorrow.

Yes I get to spend the day tomorrow with Ally. I've missed her so much since she left for New York, and seeing her again brings back old childhood memories. I realise that we may end up talking about Penny's book release party more than the wedding now but as long as I get to catch up with Ally at some point during the day I don't mind. When Ally agreed to hang out tomorrow, I ran back to Elliot to let him know that I was hoping to find out more about her relationship with Dallas, since I'm concerned about the fact he didn't go down to the beach with the rest us. I know most people may think Elliot and I are being overprotective, but I just see it as looking out for my best friend.


	4. Catching Up

"So I was thinking that we could use a jungle theme for the party considering the fact that my mother's book is about gorilla's," Ally suggests while we have our lunch at mini's. Apparently Ally is in charge of decorations while Elliot is responsible for food and everyone else is just helping out.

"Sounds great. So do you wanna shop for some decs once we've finished eating?" I ask her, and she nods. "So is Dallas helping you out?"

"Of course he is, we've been talking about it for the last week before we flew out here," she tells me. She finishes her food and stands up. "Come on, time for shopping," she states and with that we both start looking for party decorations. It takes us a couple of hours but soon enough we have everything we need and I help Ally carry it back to her parent's house, considering it's pointless driving to the mall. "Mum, we're back," Ally shouts as we walk into the living room.

"Hey you two thank you for getting all of this today," Penny says walking down the stairs, and hugging both me and Ally. Dallas follows behind Penny and walks straight towards Ally, squeezing her so tight I think I notice her gasping for breath. It's like he hasn't seen her for weeks.

"Hey Dallas," Ally says when she's capable of breathing again.

"Oh Ally; Dallas has been such a dear helping around the house today. You're very lucky to have him," Penny tells Ally with a large grin on her face. I love how excited Penny gets whenever she sees someone male doing housework. I noticed when she made a fuss about Ally, Elliot and I clearing the kitchen when I came round for dinner one evening. Honestly I just felt like I should since by that point the Dawson's felt like family to me. Speaking of family, my parents told me they were coming home on Thursday, which is tomorrow, and no matter how embarrassing they still are I'm really looking forward to seeing them again.

"Oh Austin, would you mind helping Dallas with the bonfire. I thought you kids would like to make smores and all that like you did when you were younger," Penny says. I nod and follow Dallas out into the garden wear I can see wood all ready for us to use.

"So, Ally told me about this Ethan guy..." Oh no where's this going? "And it's nice to see she has a friend like you to look out for her," Dallas says. "Though can I ask you something?"

No! "Sure."

"Do you have any idea why Ally freaked out about the change of the wedding date if she already knew there was a wedding?" he asks me. Really, does he need to know?

"Well the thing is that the wedding was originally going to be early next year, and by then Ally would have been dating you for roughly a year right?" He nods so I continue, while lugging more wood into the bonfire. "Anyway if you know about Ethan then you'll understand her trust issues, and I guess she was just hoping to have someone there with her at the wedding that she knows for certain loves her," I explain, looking at Dallas who seems a little scared.

"I guess I never thought about it that way," Dallas responds. I just decide to drop the subject, even though I'm curious about what I said to freak him out so much. When we're done loading up the firewood, I head back inside the house to let Penny know I'm heading home and she gives me a quick hug before I leave the house.

ALLY'S POV

Since we're all having a bonfire tonight, Elliot suggested we hang out by the lake for the afternoon.

"You know you should show Dallas this place sometime," Elliot suggested while laying down on the grass. We've been here for about an hour, and I admit I was wondering if Dallas would ever come up into conversation. I think about it for a moment and wonder if Dallas will even like the place, considering he's a real city boy who didn't even want to go to the beach.

"Maybe I should," I tell Elliot, before lying down next to him.

"You know Ally, if you ever want to talk to me, I right here," he said, making me nervous now. Does he think I'm upset about something?

"Thanks Elliot," is all I can say.

"Even if it's about Dallas," he continues. Wait a minute...

"You don't like Dallas do you," I accuse, bolting up into a sitting position, glaring down at my brother.

"Look Ally he seems like a good guy who I can tell would never hurt you, but ever since you've arrived you haven't been yourself and that's mostly noticeable when you're around him," Elliot explains.

"So I've changed a little. Is that a bad thing?" I ask Elliot, who looks away feeling guilty for what he's just said. To lighten up the mood, I push Elliot into the lake, but soon regret it when he leaps out of the water and pulls me in with him. We both splash each other for a while before we decide we should start heading home. When I walk into the house, Dallas sees me and just looks confused.

"Is it raining outside or something?" he asks.

"No we just decided to go for a swim in the lake," I tell him, making him even more confused, like it's something out of the ordinary. I ignore this and make my way upstairs for a shower before the bonfire.

AUSTIN'S POV

Once I've freshened up, I return to the Dawson's house and make my way into the back garden where I spot Elliot standing by the tree-house on the phone, while Dallas looks deep in thought on the porch. I go over and sit next to him, handing him a beer, deciding I should learn more about Dallas from the man himself.

"Hey Dallas, Ally never told us what you do for a living," I mention, hoping to start up a conversation.

"I basically work in a store for cell phones, where we mend them and sell accessories for them and well as sell the phones themselves," he explains. "Of course there's no point asking what you do."

"Hey guys, what's up?" Elliot asks running towards the porch.

"Just chatting," I tell him. "So who were you on the phone to?"

"Cassidy. Said she's going to be here any minute," he answers.

"Cool," I reply. "Speaking of girls, where's Ally, Dallas?"

"She's getting changed, after apparently swimming in the lake," Dallas answers in a tone as if to suggest it's something out of the ordinary. Wow he really doesn't get out much.

"Oh, that lake near the store where Pickles used to be?" I ask Elliot, turning to his direction, since I know he hung out with Ally earlier.

"Yep; the very same," Elliot replies. We both turn back to Dallas who looks confused as anything. "I'm guessing Ally never brought up Pickles did she?" Elliot asks Dallas.

"No, not really," Dallas replies.

"Well what has she told you about?" I ask him, without even realising this is turning into an interrogation. Dallas takes a while to think which kind of annoys me, I mean I have an endless list of things I know about Ally. Speak of the girl...

"Hey guys," Ally greets, sitting on Dallas' lap. "What you talking about?"

"We just found out your boyfriend sells phones," Elliot tells her, while Dallas just looks uncomfortable. Ally seems the same, considering she seems unsure how to reply to what Elliot just said.

"Who's ready for smores?" Trish announces, holding a bag of marshmallows in the air with Roger behind her. Everyone replies 'me' and we sit around the bonfire. Cassidy arrives as I start it up and sits next to Elliot, giving him a kiss. Wow I miss having a girlfriend. Maybe Elliot's right; maybe I do need to consider having a relationship of my own. While everyone makes their smores, I occasionally glance over towards Dallas, who seems to continuously try and get close to Ally, even though she appears to want her space. Sometime later Dez arrives and sits next to me.

"You guys started eating without me!" Dez complains, but is fine once I give him my smore. I stand up and walk over to the marshmallows which are behind Dallas, and notice again that he's attempting to kiss Ally. This distraction prevents me from watching my step, and I stumble towards Dallas. The next thing I know he screaming in the fire...


	5. This Is Just Not My Night

ALLY'S POV

OH MY GOD I AM GONNA KILL AUSTIN!

One minute Dallas is about to kiss me (not that was overly happy with that I must admit) and the next minute he's screaming in fire, and everyone immediately lunges towards him, trying to get him out. Austin quickly manages to get him out, and everyone crowds round him to see if he's alright. Thankfully he doesn't seem to injured, most likely thanks to the hoody he was wearing. I quickly but carefully pull it off of him, as it is still alight, and hand it to Dez who puts it out.

"Dallas, are you ok?" I ask him. He mumbles a 'yeah' while still panting, most likely from the shock of what has just happened.

"The ambulance is on their way," Trish announces as she hangs up from the phone. Everyone starts to calm down, and I soon spot Austin hiding behind the crowd.

"Trish can you keep an eye on Dallas for a minute?" I ask her, keeping my eyes on Austin whom I'm currently giving my most evil glare.

"Yeah sure," Trish replies, carefully resting Dallas' head on her lap. I stand up and storm over to Austin.

"What the HELL is wrong with you?" I ask him, trying to keep myself as calm as possible.

"Ally, I swear to God I never meant to hurt Dallas; I tripped and stumbled into him, and believe me I would have rather gone into the fire instead of him, because he didn't deserve it," Austin explains apologetically. Before either of us can say anything else, the ambulance arrives, so I return to Dallas, thanking Trish for keeping an eye on him. As Dallas is checked over, I explain everything that happened, and thankfully they announce that Dallas does not have injuries bad enough that require him to go to the hospital. They explain what we need to do to help him heal, and then head off.

AUSTIN'S POV

I still cannot believe what I did to Dallas. It's a relief when the paramedics tell us that Dallas isn't injured enough to go hospital, but that doesn't make me feel much less guilty. While everyone looks after Dallas inside, I stay by the fire, staring into it as if wanting to blame it for what happened to Dallas instead of blaming myself.

"Dallas was hoping to speak to you," Elliot tells me, sitting down next to me on the log.

"Yeah I figured; Don't worry I'm apologizing for what I did you him," I tell Elliot.

"Austin I saw you trip," Dez tells me as he sits next to me also. "I explained everything to the others and they seem to understand it was an accident, even Dallas does."

"What about Ally?" I ask him, hoping that she won't stop being friends with me.

"I don't know really. She just stayed quiet." Hearing that makes me believe that she hates me. I slump my head down into my hand with my elbows resting on my knees, and use all my might not to start crying.

"Don't worry Austin, she'll forgive you," Elliot tells me. I nod slightly to show him that I'm listening, and with that I stand up and walk inside the house, to find Dallas resting on the sofa, Ally stoking his hair.

"Dallas I'm sorry. I was paying attention and I swear I had no intention..."

"No I'm sorry," Dallas interrupts, confusing me completely. "I'm pretty sure that what you tripped over was my bag, which I stupidly left by the firewood where anyone could have tripped over it. I know it was only an accident." After he explains everything, I smile a little knowing that he doesn't hate me. However Ally just rolls her eyes angrily and storms off out the front door. I chase after her and grab her hand, causing her to turn around and face me.

"What the hell Austin. You injure my boyfriend and smile the minute you learn you won't suffer any consequences for it. Oh that's right Austin Moon gets away with everything he does," she starts yelling at me.

"Are you kidding me Ally?! Don't you think guilt is a consequence, one that you have to suffer through every day of your life, wishing that you could take it back! What happened with Dallas was an accident but that doesn't make me feel much better." I hate yelling at Ally but I couldn't help it when she made it sound like I'm some spoilt, selfish brat. The worst part is that she doesn't know that I'm just talking about Dallas.

"Oh wow so you finally decided to grow up and take responsibility did you?!" she responds, making me even angrier.

"So now you think I'm irresponsible? Ally I may be childish sometimes but it doesn't mean that I don't ever take things seriously. I've made many mistakes in my life but none of them compare to the day I learned that I let my best friend get hurt by some jerk and I couldn't stop it..." Oh shit what have I just said? No one knows about my guilt for that except for Dez. Ally looks up at me with tears in her eyes from all the yelling. She looks confused and uncertain.

"Y-You were upset about Brooke..." she starts but I interrupt her.

"Brooke was a bitch, and I'm glad she left my life. But I saw what Ethan had done to you, and I see every day now how much you struggle to trust people because of him, and I did nothing to stop the relationship when I didn't trust him from the start." We both stand there in silence as she takes in everything I just told her. Somehow though saying it all out loud makes me realise why I was so cautious of Dallas.

"Dallas isn't Ethan," Ally says breaking the silence, tears reforming in her eyes.

"I know but –" I don't get to finish as Ally runs down the road. I run after her but struggle to keep up as she's a surprisingly fast runner.

ALLY'S POV

After everything Austin just told me I had to get away for a while. I couldn't believe he felt guilty about what happened with Ethan. I may not be mad at him anymore, but I still couldn't face him with the way he looked so heartbroken because I let a jerk play me. Now I feel guilty. As I continue running I find an alleyway and hide there, staying quiet as Austin runs past. As I catch my breath back, I hear footsteps walking towards me.

"Hello beautiful," a low voice says. Before I can run away, someone's hand grabs my wrist and pulls me towards them, as they push me against the building wall. "Where'd you think you're going?" I can smell the alcohol in his breath. His friend covers my mouth with his hand so I can't scream while the rest of them start undressing me. I struggle with all my might, but they still manage to get me in just my underwear. Just when I think I'm beaten, I feel the men pulling away from me, and look up to see Austin fighting them off. One of them walks towards me, and I start to fight him, knowing I can take one man down at least.

After weakening them, Austin and I run away, with the gang not far behind. Soon we find somewhere to hide in a bush, and wait for them to disappear. I try to stay quiet but I find myself starting to hyperventilate as the gang approached. Before I know it someone's lips are pressed against mine. Austin is kissing me. I soon realise why though as I find I'm now completely silent. Soon enough the gang give up and run off. Austin and I pull away from our kiss and calm our breaths.

"Sorry, I just had to keep you quiet," he apologises.

"Don't worry, I know. Just maybe next time use your hand," I suggest, making him chuckle a little. "I'm sorry for running off. I just felt bad learning how you really felt about the Ethan thing, and I shouldn't have said what I said; any of it. I just thought you were upset because of what happened with Brooke," I ramble.

"Yeah that's what I let everyone believe. And sure I was upset about Brooke, but I was more worried about you," he tells me, making me smile.

"Roger's right, you do look after everyone else," I tell him. He smiles back and then offers me his shirt, leaving him in just his tee. We walk back to the house and when we return, we notice everyone has either gone to bed or gone home.

"Well I should probably head back home," Austin says. "It's getting late."

"Yeah that might be smart. And thanks again for tonight; I really appreciate it," I tell him.

"Anytime," he replies, before embracing me in a hug.

"What's going on here?" I hear someone behind me say. I let go of Austin and turn around to find Dallas staring at us, and he does not look happy...


	6. Dallas Doesn't Belong

ALLY'S POV

It takes me a minute to process his anger, but soon I realise... I'm wearing Austin's shirt without any pants on; we were just out together just the two of us with no one knowing where we were; Dallas just caught us hugging after I said 'thanks again for tonight; I really appreciate it'... Wow, repeating that in my head sounds like a very bad choice of words.

"Look Dallas let me expl-"

"Forget it Ally," Dallas interrupts me, pushing past me up to our room. I look back at Austin who looks as panicked as I feel.

"I'll talk to him," I assure him. He just simply nods and heads home, knowing it's probably best he stays out of it. I walk up to our room to find Dallas rinsing his face with some water in our bathroom. I walk up to the door and lean against the frame. "Dallas I know this looks bad," I begin to say but he cuts me off.

"Bad? Really you think it just looks bad?" he says, looking at me through the mirror. As he grabs a towel I decide to change into my nightgown since it probably won't help the conversation if I'm still wearing Austin's shirt. By the time I'm changed Dallas returns into the room, looking through the draws for his clothes.

"You're not even going to let me explain anything are you?" I accuse.

"Fine then, explain," he tells me so I do so while I have the chance.

"I was almost raped," I say, and immediately his face changed from anger to worry. "They managed to strip me down to my underwear, so when Austin saved me he leant me his shirt so I would be covered up". After I finish explaining, Dallas looks at me for a minute before he walks over and give me a gentle hug, trying not to harm me.

"Ally, I'm so sorry I got the wrong idea," he apologises, squeezing me a little tighter. "And remind me to thank as well as apologise to Austin. But Ally, what I don't understand is how you were attacked." And now the panic returns.

"I kinda run off," I say quietly, secretly hoping he won't hear me.

"Why?"

"Because I got mad at Austin so I ran off."

"Well Ally you know what this means right?" he asks me and I look at him confused, so he rolls his eyes and continues. "Ally, we should head home, I mean I can tell you miss New York and your getting homesick and –"

"Wait! WHAT!" I cut him off. Where the hell did he get that idea?!

"Ally, I'm sure your parents won't mind if we head back early," he tells me. Seriously?!

"Dallas, how can I get homesick when I'm home?" I ask him. He's shocked by this and I can tell he doesn't know how to answer. "I think it's just you who hates it here in Miami, where I belong but clearly you don't! Goodnight Dallas," I say climbing into bed and turning the lamp off. I feel Dallas climb in on the other side of the bed, but just ignore him and go to sleep, wondering maybe if this relationship is going to work, because I'm starting to feel like we don't belong, but then who do I belong with if not Dallas?

AUSTIN'S POV

"You ever gonna tell Ally how you feel about her?" Dez asks me the second I walk into the apartment. Why can't he stop pestering me about this? Yeah did I ever mention I'm in love with Ally? The thing is that I had had a crush on Ally when I first met her in that music store, but getting to know her I've fallen in love with her. Thankfully no one but Dez has ever caught on, though that's most likely because I hide my jealousy very well. Although I wish Ally was with me instead of Dallas, her happiness is all I care about. However she never seems completely happy with him, considering that before the fire incident she tried to avoid his kisses.

God how great it felt to kiss Ally. I only did it to keep her quiet so they gang wouldn't hear her, but her lips still felt amazing. Soon my mind returns to the present when I notice Dez waving his hand in front of me.

"Hello! Earth to Austin!"

"Sorry man," I apologise, walking over to the couch to remove my shoes.

"Thinking about her again?" he asks me. I decide I should just tell him about tonight since he's the only person I can talk to.

"I kissed Ally," I blurt out and his face freezes in a shocked expression. I decide to take advantage of him being quiet and tell the whole story from Ally running off to almost being raped to returning to her house and Dallas seeing us.

"You couldn't have just covered her mouth with your hand!" That's all he can say after everything I just told him. But I still answer anyway.

"Yeah Ally said the same thing. I couldn't help it though," I confess and he just rolls his eyes.

"Look Austin maybe if Ally knew how you felt she would dump Dallas and date you. I mean she doesn't seem happy with Dallas and everyone knows it. I think even Dallas might," he tells me. Could Dallas really see his relationship with Ally the way everyone else does? I sigh, indicating that I want to drop the conversation, so Dez thankfully changes the subject.

"Oh, Kira's finally returned to town and I'm officially going to ask her to be my girlfriend on our coffee date tomorrow," he says, cheering up. After Kira and I broke up from briefly dating, Dez has apparently had a crush on her, and finally he admitted his feelings, so they've been on a few dates now.

"That's great. I'm happy for you man," I say, trying to sound happy for him, but honestly all that's going through my mind is 'another couple to hang around'.

"Sorry," Dez apologised, but I told him it was fine and just went to bed.

I'm woken by the soft feel of someone's hand. Opening my eyes, still tired since it's the middle of the night, and I look up to see Ally sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking her fingers through my hair.

"Sorry to wake you, I just, needed to see if you were alright. You were pretty shaken up when you left," she says, as I sit up.

"I'm ok," I say, trying to convince myself more than her. She doesn't buy it and pulls me into a hug.

"Austin, what's wrong?" she asks me.

"I love you," I blurt out before I think to stop myself. She pulls back immediately and looks right into my eyes, possibly to see if I'm being honest with her. "I know it's wrong to tell you now because you're dating Dallas but I've always loved you and –." I'm interrupted by a pair of soft lips pressed against my own. They pull back after a couple of seconds and I find myself looking at Ally again, I smile on her face.

"Austin, what if I told you I was going to break up with Dallas?"I stare at her shocked by what she just implied. "The truth is I've always loved you to, but I just thought you would never feel the same way." Hearing this I just shake my head slightly, laughing a little.

"You seriously thought I could never love you? You're perfect Ally; perfect for me," I tell her, before kissing her once again. Her lips fit perfectly with mine as what started as a gentle kiss, turns into a make out session. I feel all the cliché sparks and butterflies in my stomach, as Ally's hands travel under my shirt to stroke my abs. Soon my hands slide around her waist to her ass as hers move around my neck. I squeeze her gently, earning a soft gasp from her, using the advantage to slide my tongue into her mouth. She returns the gesture by pulling lighting on the hair at the nape of my neck, causing me to moan into her mouth. As she pulls away for air, I start trailing kisses down her neck, hearing quiet moan every now and then. However soon I suddenly feel emptiness against my lips, and I open my eyes to find that Ally is no longer there. I hear a chuckle behind me and turn around to see Dallas holding Ally, looking down at me smirking deviously.

"You really thought you could have my Ally?" he starts to say, smirking down at me. "Well that's a shame because she belongs in New York with me." He continues before they both disappear.

That's when my eyes shoot open. No I can't lose Ally! My heart starts beating rapidly with the worry of that ever happening. I love her too much and I need to let her know, even if she doesn't feel the same way. I am not going to let her stay with Dallas. I need to show Ally I'm so much better for her. Sorry Dallas, but you're not the guy for her, and I'm gonna prove it!


	7. Boy Trouble

ALLY'S POV

As I wake up, I feel someone's arm wrapped around my waist. Quickly I realise its Dallas, and memories of last night's conversation come back to be. Returning home has made me realise just how much I missed Miami, but then New York is a great place for me to live, but is it that great for me?

"Hey baby, you're up," Dallas whispers in my ear, gently pulling me closer towards him. Somehow waking up next to him now doesn't seem as amazing as it did a couple of months ago. I still feel strange about the fact that we've been dating for weeks and I still haven't fallen in love with him. But despite that I still care about him, and after my dating history I feel like it would take me a while. But the question is, does Dallas love me?

"You ok?" he asks me, taking me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah. Just thinking about last night. Dallas do you hate it here that much?" I ask him, hoping for an answer.

"I admit I'm a little homesick," he admits. "But I'll get over it soon enough." How long will soon enough be though? "Come on, why don't we get up now?" he suggests and gets out of bed, heading to the bathroom. Going back to my thought, I think back to the kiss I shared with Austin last night. He knew he could have just covered my mouth with his hand, so why did he kiss me? He's just my friend... right? But does anyone feels sparks with their friend?

Finally I come to the conclusion that I should just forget about Austin for a while, and instead focus on Dallas. I hope it can be that easy.

AUSTIN'S POV

"No way! You're finally going to tell Ally! My BBF's finally growing up!" Dez screams at me a millisecond after I finish telling him about last night's dream and what it made me realise. I can't blame him though, he's probably been waiting for me to admit that I'll talk to Ally. Wait one sec...

"BBF?"

"Best Blonde Friend," he answers like it make perfect sense. Ignoring that...

"Anyways I'm not talking to Ally just yet," I remind him. "First I must prove to her that he's not right for Ally, and I'm gonna need your help to do that."

"Really? Because all you really need to do is show Ally how little she has in common with Dallas." Wow, Dez just said something smart.

"Thanks. That should work."

"You're welcome. Now we need to get the house ready before your parents arrive tomorrow."

"Um Dez, there coming today," I remind him.

"No you said they were coming on Thursday, and since yesterday was Wednesday, that means today is Friday. You sure you didn't get held back in kindergarten?" '_Are you sure you didn't?' _I think silently in reply before going to the living room to tidy up. Mum and Dad may be staying in a hotel, but if they knew I lived in a pig sty, they would freak out. A couple of hours later the place is tidy, and just in time as well.

"HONEY!" My mum squeals as she literally ran towards me with her arms open for a hug.

"Hey mum," I tell her as I hug her. It takes a while but I eventually escape her embrace and go to give my dad a much quicker hug.

"Hey son. It's great seeing you again," Dad says as we all step inside the house. We chat and catch up for a little bit – including mum asking about any girls in our lives – and then walk round the corner to the Dawson's house, to sort out any last minute preparations for tomorrow's book release party.

"Mimi! Mike!" Penny greets after she opens the door. Dez and I go to meet Elliot out back while our parents catch up.

"Hey guys. Want a beer?" Elliot offers, and Dez and I gladly accept, before sitting in the lounge chairs. "So Austin, what the hell happened last night after you talked to Dallas?"

"Had a fight with Ally; She ran off and got attacked –"

"WHAT!" he interrupts me.

"I saved her and Dallas thought we hooked up. The End." I finish.

"Maybe Dallas isn't overly keen on you," Elliot simply says, before drinking another gulp of his beer.

"What do you mean?" Dez asks him.

"Well he almost seems jealous of you, since you and Ally are close friends," Elliot explains. Dez gives me a worrying look. "He's ridiculous though if he can't trust Ally."

"Which is why we need to prove to Ally that she and Dallas aren't right for each other," I say.

"Well now's your chance," Dez says, and I quickly turn around to see Trish and Cassidy walk inside, leaving Ally by herself. Right, so it's now or never.

"Hey Ally," I greet and pull her in for a hug. "Patch things up with Dallas?" She stays silent for a moment, before finally answering with a murmured 'yes'. Knowing she's lying, I'm about to ask her what happened, but then Dallas shows up and sneaks his arms around Ally's waist.

"Hey Austin, thank you for what you did last night. Really means a lot," Dallas says.

"No problem," I reply, before walking over to Cassidy who is now in Elliot's lap.

"See your plan didn't go well," Elliot points out as I sit down.

"No kiddin'. Where'd Dez go?"

"Date with Kira," Cassidy answers. _How is it my friends ended up dating my crushes? _"I really hope she says yes."

"Yes to what," Ally asks, walking up to us.

"To being Dez's girlfriend," Cassidy replies as she jumps up from Elliot's lap to do a 'happy dance' with Ally who's screaming with joy. After a minute or so they stop jumping around and catch their breath.

"Sorry guys, I just really love love sometimes," Ally apologizes. That's just one of the many things I love about Ally, even after what happened with Ethan, she never really did stop believing in love, even if she doesn't always admit it.

"Are you into all that romantic stuff Dallas," Cassidy asks. Dallas seems to panic for a minute before answering.

"Well I'm more of a simplistic guy, ya know." _Ha, now's my chance. _

"So you and Ally must find it hard to find a movie you both like?" I ask him.

"I've been trying to get her into horror movies," he answers. This is just too easy.

"Sorry Dallas but I'm still not a fan of them," Ally admits. Dallas just stays quiet.

"I still love how Ally got Austin into romance films. He loves Romeo and Juliet now," Elliot jumps in. Ally smiles at this, so I secretly thank Elliot in my head. See Ally, we may be different but we still have things in common. Again, Dallas just stays quiet.

"Yeah that's a film I never got Dallas to watch," Ally says. "But it's not like we ever have time for films. We work all day then go on a date in the evening. Cass I still need to show you some of the restaurants there, they are amazing."

"Hey Austin, can I talk to you for a minute?" Dallas whispers to me. He stands up and walks off before I can even answer, as if he just expected me to say yes. Reluctantly I follow him to the back of the garden. "Look Austin I know you and Ally are close, and ever since we got here I feel like she's pulling away from me, so I was hoping you could play wingman for me and help me out. I mean you know what she likes."

"Dallas you've been dating her for months now," I point out to him getting angry. "You should know what she likes!"

"But I don't understand it like you do," he says.

"Well people don't belong together if they can't understand each other!" I blurt out.

"And who do you think Ally belongs with then?" he asks me, showing me he knows what I meant by that. I just stay silent. "Never mind. Forget I ever said anything." Dallas walks past me, brushing his shoulder against mine, so I push it off and that soon leads us into a fight.

ALLY'S POV

I've been keeping my eye on Austin and Dallas, and when I notice them starting to fight I run over there, followed by the others.

"Cool a fight," Trish says as we all watch a fight which honestly looks like it came out of a Bridget Jones film, especially when they both end up in the fountain. Soon enough I get bored and go inside the house. No one seems to notice since no one follows me.

As I'm lying in my bed, I think about my relationship with Dallas, and how ridiculous he was to fight Austin. In fact he's been ridiculous this whole trip. It may have only been a few days but it's still been enough to make me realise that we don't belong together.

"Hey Ally," Dallas says, and I turn around to see him standing in the doorway. He looks upset, probably since he knows he upset me. "You belong with Austin." _Well I certainly did not see that one coming!_


End file.
